Monday, February 21, 2005

Shanda-Sina Deal: Counterbid from other firms possible

From BBC News: China's Shanda buys stake in Sina "The move may be a precursor to a full takeover, with analysts saying that a better-known international firm may also now show an interest in Sina."China Net Investor: Yahoo! ??? -Yahoo and Sina jointly run the Chinese auction service 1Pai.

"There could still be some potential parties that could still counter bid," said Wallace Cheung, an analyst at DBS Vickers. "Even though Shanda has 20% of Sina, they still have quite a long way to take full control." However, Mr Cheung noted that a foreign company trying to take control of a Chinese internet portal firm, with its ability to filter and pass on news, may not be viewed very favourably by Beijing." Read more